Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Wolf of Time ❯ A Hero's Beginning ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Where to start...

As I step out of the temple, my eyes are relieved with the light from the early afternoon sun. Not until I left that holy place did I realize just how bright it was within. Here my journey begins. Three stones... I guess that part was lost to the legends, as was this so called Ocarina of Time. I don’t even know what an ocarina is, much less how to play one. I step across the cobblestone streets back to the town square. I look around at the different people, wondering who I could ask about these stones. I doubt any of these harlequins would know... if they did, someone would already have the sword. Discretion would most likely be the best approach when trying to gather information about the sword and the rest of the legend that was unknown to me. I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m anything like the King of Evil that proceeded me so long ago. As I walk through the town back towards the gate, I see a few people taking note of me. My deep red hair seems to make me stand out here. Not to mention the clothes from my village. They must recognize my Gerudo heritage. I try not to make eye contact with them, and continue towards the gate. Finally I reach the guard who agreed to watch my steed while I conducted my business. He offers me the reigns and I take them into my hand. I turn to see if anyone had taken enough interest as to follow me, luckily no one had. My attention is turned back towards the guard, who stares at me with his hand open... as though he expected something.


A strange new world.

I stare blankly at him and say “What?”

He gives a broad smile and says “Three rupees for tending to your horse.”

I’m taken a back. “Money?” I ask.

Did this imposter Iron Knuckle really expect me to pay him? He nods. What kind of greedy world have I been cast into? I open up one of the saddle bags harnessed to my traveling companion, and find some rupees. One red, one blue, three green. Twenty eight in all. Not many... but more than enough for this tin plated thief.

“I’ll make it five if you can provide me with some information.” I pass the blue gem into his waiting palm which clasps around it.

“What do you want to know?” He smiles warmly, more at his newfound wealth than at myself I suspect.

“The temple at the far end of town. Is it the one from the legends?”

He nods in such an awkward way I half feared his head would fall from his neck.

“Correct me if I’m wrong... the legends speak of a young man who collected three special stones, entered that temple, and was granted the title the ‘Hero of Time’ when he pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, right?”

Again he nods, the helmet on his head clunking to and fro.

“Do you know how he came upon those stones?”

He quickly answers “They were said to be gifts to him for aiding the Gorons, the Zora’s, and um... the forest, from what I remember of the stories.”

It would appear there is more to history than my sisters knew. My people have frequent trade with the Gorons, so they are no strangers to me. These Zoras however... I’m unfamiliar with what a “Zora” even is. Not to mention that a forest in my mind is still just an abstract place of green with an abundance of trees.

I nod my head as through I understand and ask “Do you know where I might find each of those groups? I’m unfamiliar with the lay of the land here.”

He looks at me disbelievingly, then points off towards where the sun had risen, towards a mountain with no top. “The Gorons live in Death Mountain...” His outstretched finger sways to the right. “Follow the river against the current and you should find the home of the Zoras...” He then points behind me. “The forest is that way, but you’re more likely to find yourself lost there than anything else.”

I look off towards each of the directions. “I suppose a sword would be helpful...”

He gives a broad grin. “Couldn’t hurt.”

I nod and grab the red rupee from the pouch, slipping it into my pocket. I find that the guard seems to frown a tiny bit. I look at him and ask “Where might I find one for sale here?”

He motions towards the town square. “The shop with a large wooden shield above the door. You can’t miss it.”

I thank him and make my way back into town. I notice a few people staring at me now. Finding the shop was easy enough with the decorative shield. I duck inside to escape the eyes of the villagers. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness of the shop. The room smells faintly like a burnt out fire and iron. A large, dark skinned man with a grey beard and hair stands behind a wooden counter with several weapons of various shapes and sizes hanging on the wall behind him, as well as diagrams of various suits of armor made from different materials. The man is inspecting an arrow as I enter, turning it over in his giant hands. He smiles and turns to greet me, setting the arrow on the counter.

“Hello there friend!” His voice is deep and booming, but somehow warm, as though he had known me my entire life. He makes a large gesture with his arm to draw me nearer. “Come! Come! Tell me what I can get for you this fine day.”

My eyes wander around the multitude of weapons on the wall behind him and the charts as I make my way towards the man. I look up at the large dark skinned man with thinning hair.

“I’m planning a journey. I want to be prepared for anything that may get in my way.”

He gives a broad smile, pushing up his round cheek bones and accenting his wide button nose. He shows off his nearly flawless teeth as he speaks in a cultured tone “Well that is certainly an interesting way to put it.” He chuckles, then looks me over. “I have plenty of wares that could fill that order. The only question would be your preference in weapons and armor really. You strike me as a man who likes to be free when he moves. I’d suggest a nice suit of Dodongo hide armor. Tough, thick, and light enough so it wont slow you down even the slightest bit.”

The man could read me like a book. It may have been just the way he described that armor, but somehow it appealed to me. I nod “That sounds acceptable. I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of funds at the moment though...” I reach into my pocket and pull out the gemstone, placing it on the counter. “What can I get with this?”

He looks at the stone, then inhales a bit. “Not much I’m afraid...” he says as he rubs his chin some. “Tell me what you need the most, and I’ll see what I can do.”

This man was a stark contrast to the guard I had met only a few moments ago. “What I really need is a weapon. A sword.”

He nods. “Excellent. A sword. Simple, effective, a good balance between easy usage and stopping power. Give me just one moment.”

He walks through a doorway at the far left end of the wall containing all the weapons, and shortly reappears with a sword in his hands, then sets it on the counter before me.

“I’m afraid for that much all I can offer you is bronze. Its not as durable as iron or steel, but it will get the job done well enough.” He opens his hand to me. “Go ahead, look it over if you want.”

I lift the weapon into my hands, running a finger along the edge to test its sharpness. A thin red line on my finger tells what I need to know. I then bring it up to eye level to make sure its straight. I set it back down on the counter. “This will do well.”

He smiles. “Ok then.” He reaches behind the counter and brings up a leather sheath for the sword, easily slipping the weapon inside and setting it back before me. He waits until I take it to pull the rupee off the counter.

The sheath is complete with a belt so I can fasten the weapon however I like. The belt fits well over my shoulder and I secure it in place so I can easily draw it over my right shoulder.

The man watches me and says “Now I always toss in a little something extra for first time customers. Which would you like? A simple wooden shield, or a dagger?”

It doesn’t take me long to decide. “The dagger please.”

He flashes another big smile, going into the back again and retrieves a bronze dagger with its own sheath, setting it on the counter.

I slide it off with one hand. “Thank you very much....”

“Bruno” he says with a smile, extending his hand to me. I take it and shake it. His grip is firm, butnot overpowering. “If its money you’re looking for, people seem to drop a few rupees in the tall grass. Some hide money in ceramic jars or wooden crates.” He laughs out loud. “I don’t understand for the life of me why though.”

“Thanks for the tip, Bruno, and thanks again for the equipment.” I turn to walk out and he calls after me.

“If you ever need anything else just come on back!”

My eyes need to adjust to the sunlight again as I leave the shop and I tighten the dagger’s strap around my waist. As they focus, I see a small group of women looking at me from the other side of the square. The man had made me nearly forget that I was arousing suspicion, and now the sword and dagger I had just purchased made me even more conspicuous. Swiftly I make my way back to the bridge, and to the man who was tending my horse. The guard has a thin smile on his face as I approach.

“Got what you needed I see.”

“Yes” I reply, wanting to put some distance between myself and this town. He offers me the reigns and I take them, quickly lifting myself up onto the steed, and feel the guard eyeing me. I take one last look down at him.

“You seemed awfully interested in that legend, stranger. Why is that?” He tosses the question up at me.

I stare at him for a moment, then toss him back a crumb of a lie, just to appease his apatite.

“Lets just say I’m a lore collector of sorts.”

He smiles. I’m not entirely sure if he believes me or not... but it sure did clam him up. I set my sights on the large mountain in the distance and rear my horse towards it.


Every journey starts...

I keep staring up at that mountain. I pray to Din that this trek wont be fruitless. The horse carries me across a bridge spanning a river. We rush onward towards the mountain in the distance. As near as I can tell the man with blue eyes hasn’t taken chase after me yet. I don’t know if he will try, but its better to hurry in case he does. Somehow I cant help but feel that someone is watching me. We start into the foothills. The steed navigates them with ease as soon we find ourselves at the foot of “Death Mountain.” I slow the horse as we start to climb up beaten path. There’s no sense in pushing her now. Not on this terrain. The ride is uneventful. Half the day passes as the two of us wind our way up the path towards the summit. The sky begins to turn a familiar orange with violet clouds. This is my favorite time of day. I spot a large wooden gateway between the clifflike walls of the pass a little further ahead.

Any port in a storm.

As we approach, I see a faint glimmer near the gate nearly the size of a grown man. My steed and I stride up and as my eyes take him in. I blink, finding that a second look is in order. I halt my horse and glance down at the armored man, identical in nearly every way to the greedy tin man at the town gates who tended my horse. As I linger, wondering if this man was really that fast to beat me here, I notice that this guard is quivering. His armor makes a low rattling noise as he shakes within its confines. The man nearly jumps as I greet him.

“Hello there.”

He stands now, motionless at his post.

“Hello.”

“You weren’t... standing down by the town with the bridge earlier today were you?”

He glances up at me, a little confused it seems.

“...No. Why do you ask?”

I shake my head. It couldn’t be the same guard. This one seemed on edge for some reason. The other one was cold and much too eager to ask money for even the most mundane of services.

“Nevermind. I must have you mistaken with someone else.”

The man nods and looks back down, letting out a sigh. His armor seems battered and dented in several places. I linger a bit beside him. His eyes remain cast at the ground. Finally he moves, adjusting part of his armor in an awkward fashion. It’s the same style armor that the other guard was wearing, except it looked even more uncomfortable and very lackluster.

“What is this town?”

He lifts his head and looks straight again, regaining his posture.

“This is Kakariko Village, ancient home of the Shiekah tribe.”

I nod, saying “Thank you. Keep up the good work” and reach into my saddle pouch., pulling out a rupee for the man and tossing it to him. It drops at his feet and he stares at it in disbelief. He bends down and picks it up.

“Th-thank you sir!”

Looking into the gateway to the town, the first thing that catches my eye is some tall object jutting out of the ground. It splits off into different sections as it goes higher, then splits several more times into what must be hundreds of tiny branches, all blanketed in an array of green shades. This must be a tree. I’ve seen some trees near oases in the desert, but they were nothing like this. This was much taller, and had many times the number of leaves. I hear a sound coming from the tree. No, from behind the tree. Between the leaves and branches I can see something moving. Something big. I cautiously rear my horse forward, under tree. That’s when I see it.

The giant.

Past a building in the center of the town, looming over it at the edge of the town stood the beast. A giant among giants with four huge arms swinging wildly. I’m stunned for a moment as I stare at the creature, then realize that no one else has taken note of it yet. Finally I must put my skills to test. I slink off my horse, keeping close behind the tree. Its unclear whether or not the monster has seen me yet, so I dash close to the building that stands between it and myself. As I peek around the corner of the house I hear it groaning still. Does it see me as a threat? I have no choice but to stay hidden for now. I stay behind the structure, making my way slowly up some steps. My sisters’ teachings come to mind.

“Always try to capture the high ground.”

“If your opponent already has it, try to get on even ground with them.”

“Should your opponent be larger than you, use both your size and theirs to your advantage.”

So far I have the advantage of being able to stay relatively out of sight, and with that I have the element of surprise. Not much in my favor, but its something. I continue around the building, and see stairs up to the beast’s foot. There’s not much room for maneuvering around, but the creature seems in no hurry to move. I draw my sword and charge silently at the giant, quickly up the steps towards it. No sooner do I reach the creature than one of it’s enormous arms swings just above me. I’m able to dodge to the ground and roll away. It must have seen me in my approach. Another of the monster’s arms comes towards me, and I see my opening. I side step as the arm misses just above me again. I let out a yell and leap, plunging my blade into the beast’s arm. I hear it groan in pain, as the arm flails upwards. Its flesh tears with my weight pulling down on my sword. The tear is clean and easy, as though the beast’s flesh were nothing more than a spider’s web. I withdraw my blade and drop to its next limb, slashing my sword down into the side. My sword sinks in, but the wound is shallow, and the creature flings me to the ground. The dull, hazy pain fills my head as I land on my back. My eyes open I’m greeted by three spear heads pointed towards me.

Three guards tower over me, one of which is the man that greeted me at the gate. He looks shaken, but the other two look strong in their resolve. A clanking noise approaches us, followed by a voice.

“What in the name of Nayru is going on here?!”

“This ruffian just started attacking the windmill for no reason.” One of the guards replies.

The clanking grows barely louder as up walks another guard in armor. “What’s going on here?!”

“This ruffian just started attacking the windmill” one of the other guards replies without moving his eyes from me.

I grit my teeth at them. “What are you doing?! Help me fell the giant!”

The guard that just walked up looks down at me. “Giant?” He looks back up towards the beast without the faintest hint of fear in his body before casting his eyes back to me. “I think... that there has been a misunderstanding.” He waves his hand and the other guards pull their spears away.

The new guard has a sword at his waist in addition to a halberd in his hand. His armor is adorned with gold trim and a crest on the chest plate. The crest looks like a red bird pointing upward towards three golden triangles. His helmet is also unique. Unlike the other guards, his helm has an oddly shaped face guard. It looks like some sort of animal, with a pointed nose, very thin slanted eyes, and thin pointed ears. He extends an arm down to me, offering to help me up. I take his hand and get to my feet, sheathing my sword. The guard that was at the gate nearly jumps out of his armor as I lift the blade to do so.

It seems that a small crowd of people has gathered not far behind the guards. I look back up at the creature. “If its not a giant... what is it then?” As one of the arms swings back down I take a cautious half step backwards.

The guard looks up with me. “Its called a windmill. The wind blows the sails, which turns the wheel. The wheel works a mechanism inside that pumps up water from the well for us to drink.” He points towards a strange little stone structure at the foot of the “wind-mill.” It seems to be just a very deliberate, neatly stacked pile of rocks with boards on top of it.

“I apologize for the damage. I’d like to help repair it... but I’m kind of on a mission to find something.” I feel bad that I have damaged something so important to the survival of this village and its people.

“Don’t worry about it. Quite a few of the families who live in this village are carpenters by trade. They’ll have the thing good as new by tomorrow evening.” His words are reassurance, but I still have a heavy feeling in my chest.

“If you’re sure then...”

As the guards disperse I notice that some of the men and women from the crowd that gathered went back to their business. Four of the people go over to a large building built into the side of a cliff which defines the edge of the town.

“So friend, where is it you’re heading, if I may ask?” The guard’s voice is somewhat muted by the unique mask that he wears.

“Up Death Mountain, to visit the Gorons.” I reply.

He nods. “I see. Are you a merchant?”

I shake my head. “No. I guess you could say I’m sight seeing.” I start back towards my horse. The guard walks beside me. I don’t know yet if he’s trying to just keep tabs on me, or is just a friendly person. If I could see his face it would be easier to tell.

“Well if you wanna see the Gorons you just continue up the side of the mountain. There are signs all the way up so you wont get lost easily.” He comments as we approach my horse. “Its not an easy trek. You’d probably want to be in top shape for it. With all this... activity today, I figure you must be a little worn at least. We have an inn if you wanna stay.”

As he speaks I notice the people who went into the large building emerge now, with helmets on that cover only the tops of their heads, a single strap below their chin to hold it in place. They also seem to be wearing belts with large pockets, filled with various metal objects. Two of them are carrying a large beam of wood, while the other two seem to have a large roll of cloth. They move through the village, to a ladder set up upon the cliff where the “windmill” stands. They unload the beam and the cloth at the foot of the ladder, then two of them start up.

I’ll admit that my muscles were sore. Traveling for two days on no sleep isn’t easy. “I guess so. What’s an ‘inn’?”

He looks at me, then lifts his face guard. He has a bewildered look about him as he studies me with his eyes. They look like a steel grey color. He has a strong chin and a narrow nose. Laugh lines show faintly at the corners of his mouth, and he has a small scar near the corner of his left eye.

After some time he finally speaks. “It’s a place where people pay money to spend the night there. You cant really call the one here an inn. Its just a spare bed that my wife rents out to travelers passing through.”

I never thought it would cost money to sleep, but I guess a bed beats sleeping on the ground. “Alright. I guess resting up would be a good idea. I haven’t slept in a while.”

He nods and smiles. “Come then. My wife will get you all set up.”

Hospitality...

He walks me to a house with some sort of a tower on top of it near the entrance of the town. In the doorway stands a woman with a build slightly larger than that of the other women I’ve seen in this village. Her face has very defined laugh lines and full cheek bones. Blonde hair adorns her head and falls in curls just past her shoulders. An apron covers her outfit, and in her hands is a dish, which she is drying with a towel.

“Well well well. Is this the lad causing all the commotion earlier Carl?” she says as she puts her hands on her hips, smiling to the guard.

The man nods. “Indeed he is. This is my lovely wife Doris. Doris, this lad hasn’t himself a place to sleep tonight.”

I sort of nod. I’ve never been around another female outside of the village, so I’m not exactly sure how to properly act around her. “I’m afraid I don’t have much money to offer in exchange for using your ‘inn’ for the night.” I look in the saddle bag of my steed. Empty... “Apparently I don’t have any money.”

The woman smiles widely. “Is that so! Well we cant have you sleeping outside in the cold now can we?.” She holds open the door to the house for me. “Come on in sweetheart! You can stay in Jake’s old room, but before that... lemme make you a nice hot supper. You gotta be hungry after all that ruckus a little while ago.”

The guard takes the reigns of my horse from me. I glare at him a bit. “Don’t worry, we have someone to take care of her. He’s really good to the horses he keeps.”

I relinquish the straps to him, petting her lightly before entering the house.

The guard addresses his wife “I’ve got the late shift tonight honey. Take good care of the boy.”

She replies, “Ok honey buns. I’ll be sure to make a big breakfast in the morning.” With that she shuts the door and turns to me.

The interior of the house is quaint. The room seems to be the kitchen, dining area, and a sitting room all in one. A round wooden table sits in the center, with four chairs around it. A sink and a wood stove are in the nearest corner, with a long, padded sitting bench against the opposite wall, further into the room. The bench is pushed against a staircase, which has a wooden door built into it. There is a doorway in the far wall, though I cant tell where it leads. Another doorway on my left leads to some room just past the kitchen counter, but I cant tell where that leads either.

The woman smiles to me, and with a cheerful, eager voice says “Sit child! Tell me what you would like to eat.”

I pull out one of the chairs around the table and sit. “Um... I’m not sure exactly.”

She squints a bit, leaning forward within inches of my nose. Then she slams her hand on the table. It startles me. She points her index finger of me and says “You look like a lad who would appreciate a nice thick dodongo steak. It just so happens I bought a few extra last time I was at the market.”

She buzzes around the kitchen almost like a blur, knowing exactly what she needs. Before I know it she places a plate in front of me, with a large slab of meat on it that’s nearly as wide across as my forearm is long, and as thick as three of my fingers put together. The woman lays down a serrated knife and a fork next to the plate. I pick them up, not sure where to start on the meal. I cut off a piece and put it in my mouth. The first bite tells me why the woman hadn’t offered me anything to drink with my meal. As my jaw closed on the bite, moisture poured forth from the meat, as though it were absorbed by the sponge. The meat is especially tender, but very saturated. The juices are sweet and warm, with the meat being quite spicy itself. Both the juices and the meat somehow work together, the tastes enhancing one another so both seem more delicious. Each time I chew more juices are coerced from the steak. I can hardly believe that such a meat exists. Back home we mostly feasted on leever flesh. As the bite slides down my throat, I can feel it fill me up. As near as I can tell, the meat absorbs the juices again once its been swallowed.

I’m left speechless, hardly able to understand how this new cuisine could be so enjoyable to eat on so many levels. The woman watches the expression on my face as I eat and smiles to herself from across the table. She holds a glass of milk with both of her hands on the table, seemingly content to just watch me enjoy the food.

I’m not able to eat many more bites before I begin to feel very full. Barely a fifth of the way through the steak and I have to stop for fear that my belly will burst forth from me. I set down the utensils and lean back in the chair, resting my hands on my stomach, with a broad grin unconsciously spreading across my lips.

“Done?” The woman asks, already able to tell the answer.

All I can manage is a nod, still unable to articulate words after such a meal. I give a heavy, content sigh. As she takes the plate from me. She takes her time taking the remains of my meal to the room just past the counter, then returns with the empty dish which she cleans. I let my meal settle inside of me. I begin to notice that the woman is humming a tune to herself. It sounds soothing, foreign, yet somehow familiar like I have heard it before. It nearly lulls me to sleep when she finally turns back around, resting her hands on her hips and staring at me.

“I take it from that droopy eyed look that you’re ready for bed, eh hun?” She says to me. Strange how she can tell exactly what I’m feeling.

I groggily nod and she walks over to the stairs. “This way.” She smiles before going to the door at the far end of the sitting room. She turns the knob and opens the door into the room.

Its dim inside. She lights a candle sitting on a low dresser. I enter the room. It smells musty. The odd little room has a dresser, a chair, what looks like it could be a closet, and a low set bed which looks very comfortable. On the wall is a poster advertising for some place called Lon Lon Ranch, with a picture of two red haired young women on it standing back to back. Below them is displayed the text “We milk it for less.” The poster looks a bit old judging by the faded colors of it. Everything in the room seems to have a layer of dust on it. The woman goes over to the closet and pulls out some folded sheets, then neatly makes the bed with a smile on her face, humming that same tune again.

“Is there anything you need before you turn in?” she asks with a smile.

I shake my head. “No thank you ma’am.”

She nods and walks over to the door, putting out the candle, leaving the room in near total darkness. I turn around.

“Ma’am, again, thank you very much for letting me stay here.”

She smiles, and I think I see a tear in her eye as she closes the door.